Bette Davis

Upon its release in 1990, Madonna's "Vogue" was an appreciation of a long-gone age of Hollywood glamour. Now that age is truly lost: as xoJane's Marci Robin pointed out on Twitter, the passing of Lauren Bacall means every star name-checked in the song has died.

Bacall was the last surviving member of the 16 famous names in the song; nine of these stars were still alive when the song hit airwaves on March 20, 1990. ("Vogue" itself is 24 years old.)

After, "Who are you wearing?," the most important question on the Oscars' red carpet is "Who are you here with?"

Celebrity couples are always alluring. Drench them in tulle, tuxes and accolades, and they become nearly irresistible. But it's a shame that today's biggest stars can't hob knob with the glamorous old guard of Tinseltown ... or can they?

Well, sure. But the same was said (and much earlier) about screen legend Barbara Stanwyck – "A Stand-Up Dame," as PEOPLE called her in 1990, when, after a four-decade career, the formidable star of Annie Oakley, Stella Dallas, Meet John Doe, The Lady Eve, Double Indemnity, 1953's Titanic and TV's The Big Valley, among other popular vehicles of their day, died of heart failure at age 82.

John Wayne may have carried a rifle, but Bette Davis was tougher – her very look could kill.

April 5 marks what would have been the 104th birthday of the screen icon, and to mark the occasion, Life.com has published never-before-seen photos of Davis in 1939, after her shattering Mildred in Of Human Bondage and Oscar role in Jezebel, and on the eve of the movie that would solidify her reputation as queen of Warner Bros. lot, Dark Victory.

Still to come would be indelible performances in The Letter, The Little Foxes, Now, Voyager, Mr. Skeffington, All About Eve, The Star and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? – each and every one earning her an Oscar nomination.